The UAE's non-oil economy grew 4.8% in the first quarter of 2026, pushing its share of the country's total GDP to 79.4%, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, said during a meeting of the Economic Integration Committee.
The minister said the UAE's real GDP expanded by 3% over the same period, with total GDP reaching Dh485 billion. The figures confirm that the country's multi-year diversification drive continues at a notable pace, with sectors outside oil and gas now accounting for the overwhelming majority of national output.
Bin Touq Al Marri attributed the growth to government strategies supporting trade, tourism, financial services, technology and manufacturing, sectors that have benefited in recent years from industrial development initiatives and programmes aimed at attracting foreign investment.
The Economic Integration Committee, where the figures were presented, is the federal body tasked with coordinating economic policy between UAE federal and local government entities. The continued rise in the non-oil sector's share of GDP aligns with the UAE's longer-term goal of reducing reliance on oil revenue and building a knowledge, trade and services-based economy over the coming decades. Officials have repeatedly pointed to similar quarterly gains as evidence that diversification efforts launched over the past decade are translating into a structurally different economy, less exposed to swings in global oil prices than it was a generation ago.